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3 trades the Lakers can make around Donovan Mitchell with Knicks, Jazz

By Jason Reed

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 14: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz reacts to a play during the second half of a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 14, 2022 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - MARCH 14: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz reacts to a play during the second half of a game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Vivint Smart Home Arena on March 14, 2022 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers traded for Patrick Beverley last week and now will turn their attention to trading Russell Westbrook. The only way the Lakers can contend for a title this upcoming season is by moving off of Westbrook, which is why it is so important to do.

At this point in time, it really seems like the Lakers have two potential routes. One of those routes are heating up as league sources told Marc Stein that there is a good chance that the Lakers will be involved in a Donovan Mitchell trade between the Knicks and Jazz… if it happens.

According to the report, Jazz President Danny Ainge covets the Lakers’ 2027 and 2029 first-round picks, which the Lakers will likely trade to get Westbrook out of LA. In theory, Ainge could bring in a total of seven first-round picks for trading Mitchell.

This is a case where all three teams could be motivated to make this happen as soon as possible and there are also a lot of routes they can take.

Here are 3 trades the Lakers could make around Donovan Mitchell with the Knicks and Jazz:

This is the most straightforward of the trades. New York has to get close to Mitchell’s contract in order to make this trade happen and Utah, a tanking team, has no use for expensive multi-year contracts. That is why a team like the Lakers makes sense as they can take on those multi-year contracts while providing an expiring.

A lot of Lakers fans are not in love with the idea of Julius Randle coming to LA after his 2021-22 season and considering the fact he is a bit ball-dominant like Westbrook. He is also under contract for four more seasons, so there is long-term risk there.

However, Randle’s cap hit never even reaches $30 million and he has proven to be an All-NBA-caliber player in the recent past. The Knicks as a whole were a mess last season and in Los Angeles, Randle could hopefully lean on LeBron to provide him good looks as an off-ball shooter while also being a good option to run point-forward/point-center when LeBron does not play.

This is probably the best version of this trade but it has its risks, which is why a potential trade with the Indiana Pacers is probably still the best route.

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